Siblings set their own screen tests Liz Bell liz@mpnews.com.au BROTHER and sister filmmakers Stephany and Julian Avila want to pitch their Mornington Peninsula-based mockumentary/comedy web series to film industry heavyweights and further develop the series. The Avilas, actors from Mount Eliza and Frankston South, have worked on many films and pilots together and have just finished a pilot episode for a national screen competition being run by Screen Forever and Tik Tok. Stephany Avila, who has been acting since she was four, and has featured in Australian television programs, said her and her brother Julian’s series Aussie Spirit revolved around Australian ghosts and the households they haunt. The siblings have spent years working on pilots and productions together but admit the Got a Minute? competition was a challenge, as each entry must have 10 one-minute episodes. Ms Avila said the competition’s format highlighted the power and potential of short-form content and was a way for filmmakers to build on their storytelling skills. The 31-year-old mother of two, who writes, produces and coordinates the siblings’ filming productions and runs her film and television acting studio on the peninsula, began her career as a child actor in Australian television programs Neighbours and Holly’s Heroes, and films including Crimes of the Heart and I Love You Too. She said acting backgrounds helped her and Julian “see dialogue and plot” and understand what was realistic and what captured the audience. Mr Avila is also a 26-year-old actor and filmmaker, and together the pair share a passion for the screen industry and a desire to build on their
Production still: Brother and sister filmmakers Stephany and Julian Avila (bottom right) on set with the cast and crew of Aussie Spirit, back row, Harry Stringer (Sean), Matt Sellars (boom), Tass Tokatlidis (Gary) and Liam Matthews (Josh); bottom, Tim Lee (Pete). Picture: Supplied screen careers. Ms Avila said the key to producing films was “This symbiosis we have as siblings also lets to be “organised, ask for advice from industry us create films that hope to evoke emotion and professionals, trust your creativity and put your inspire those that happen to watch,” he said. work out there for the public to see”. “It is so important for filmmakers and actors Finalists in the competition get the chance to as well to produce their own content and enter fly to Queensland and pitch their concept to a these into competitions. Your stories and your panel of film industry professionals, with the creativity are yours, why not share it with the winner receiving $25,000 to help in the producworld?" tion of their 10 part web series.
Backing for cinemas THREE Mornington Peninsula cinemas will share in $130,000 of federal government money to support the recovery of the arts and entertainment sector after three years of COVID-related disruptions to operations. Peninsula Cinemas Rosebud and Sorrento, as well as the Dromana 3 Drive-in, received between $35,000 and $60,000 each under the second round of the $20 million Supporting Cinemas’ Retention Endurance and Enhancement of Neighbourhoods (SCREEN) fund. Dromana 3 Drive-In owner Paul Whitaker said the drive-in had weathered the “perfect storm” of difficult times and was grateful for the support. “COVID-19 has seen us under mandatory lockdowns of more than 300 nights then, during the periods when we were able to operate, increased demand along with staff shortages,” he said. “The SCREEN fund grant will help to secure the business into the future, employing more staff (when available), upgrading technology and long-awaited repairs to infrastructure. “The association with Screen Australia through the SCREEN fund will make the presentation of many more Australian Made movies a reality.” Mr Whitaker said he believed 2022 was going to be a great year for the cinemas, with restrictions over and his drive-in’s 60th anniversary fast approaching. He said there would be a community celebration on 21 December to mark the occasion. Flinders MP Greg Hunt said the money would allow independent cinema owners to keep their projectors rolling COVID-safely. “Local independent cinemas are key parts of our community, bringing friends, family and partners together for so many years,” he said. “Local places like the Dromana 3 Drive-In and Peninsula Cinemas have a history of entertaining locals for decades and it’s important that they haven’t been left behind in the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Diving deep for inspiration THE first Mornington Peninsula Art Competition “work in progress” by students at St Joseph's Primary School, Sorrento is under way. The competition has been designed to raise awareness among students and the community on how to care for the peninsula’s marine environment and shoreline precincts. The school’s entry has been inspired by environmental advocate and past Mornington Peninsula Shire Citizen of the Year Josie Jones, known for diving for rubbish under Flinders Pier. Ms Jones was also a recipient of the local Hero Award in the Australian of the Year Awards in 2020. Sustainability leader at St Joseph's
Primary School, Jane Byrne, is encouraging the students to create a collage and to draw and paint as part of their entry into the competition. The potential removal of 180metres of a wooden section of Flinders pier has alerted the Flinders community and other community organisations across the peninsula to the importance of caring for the local marine life and coastal precincts. Renowned conservationist Sir David Attenborough brought international attention to the issue by expressing his concern for the welfare of the weedy seadragon, which lives among seabed grasses at the pier. Trish Hurley from the Save Flinders Pier committee said she was looking forward to exhibiting
selected works and the winning entries at peninsula libraries and Rosebud Plaza over the Easter school holidays. "The competition's aims complement the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s school’s environmental educational programs on zero waste and reducing marine and foreshore debris as well as engaging students in a variety of art, language and science activities,” she said. Students across the peninsula can participate in the competition and individual or whole class works can be entered focussing on marine ecology, environmental issues impacting the marine environment or the recreational use of the piers, jetties and other built features in their area.
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SHARN COOMBES LIBERAL FOR DUNKLEY
Standing strong, fighting for our community Authorised by Sam McQuestin, Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), L12, 257 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 Mornington News
1 March 2022
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